Coping Mechanisms
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Everyone has a way to cope with the stress of everyday life. Some just have more unusual methods than most. A minor joke Nana plays on her son takes a life of it's own as Tsuna finds an "out" of his everyday life that makes everything better for him. It just comes at the cost of his gender identity and whatever chance for normal he had. Gender-fluid Tsuna
1. Chapter 1

**If you don't like cross dressing (think Jessie and James from the first Pokemon series when they switched the usual male/female outfits) or Gender-Fluid Characters, turn away now. You have been warned, so no whining.**

* * *

It all started out of some twisted idea his mother had.

She would go on and on about how "cute" he looked...and then she put him in a dress.

Some might think that a little boy like Tsuna would complain about such feminine clothing...except Tsuna wasn't exactly normal.

Seeing the _real_ smile on his mother's face about being able to pretend she had a daughter to spoil rotten and train in how to act as a house wife, as opposed to a son who kept failing to measure up to a man he long suspected was dead...well, Tsuna didn't exactly have a tough choice to make.

Besides, he noticed that none of the usual bullies would bother him like they did when he was wearing boy's clothing.

And then his mother ordered the wrong uniform by mistake two years before he entered middle school.

It would spell the beginning of the end for anything resembling a normal life.

Because Tsuna found the one thing that would allow him to escape the hell that he had endured since that funny old man came to visit with his long-dead father. And no, nothing Nana said contrary to that opinion would change how he felt.

If "Iemitsu" was alive, then he didn't deserve the title of father, much less husband. He left them all alone to suffer in silence while he was off enjoying his own life in Italy.

Therefor it was up to Tsuna to keep that smile on his mother's face. So that she didn't have to worry.

Besides, who cared about stupid things like "gender identity" anyway? The few males his mother had contact with were openly dismissive and in some cases disgusted when they found out what he was doing. The women on the other hand... they were a bit more sympathetic.

His mother had a reputation for being something of an oblivious airhead. But she was genuinely kind and anyone could see that the months, even years without her husband raising a small child was taking it's toll on her.

So the idea that her son would do something as silly as dressing up and even acting like a girl to make her smile, well, that just made them coo at him and call him a good child. After all, he was taking care of his mother the best (and only) way he knew how.

He wasn't good at sports. He wasn't particularly gifted in academics or anything really. He was too effeminate to be a "manly man" like most boys his age. He was one of the shortest kids in his class, and clumsy to boot.

It would be impossible for such a sweet little boy to possibly match up to the other males in his class, and that would inevitably lead to bullying.

As a girl however... there were double standards there. Girls didn't have to be athletic, smart or very coordinated. If they were good at keeping house and with children, then society stood back and said "that was fine" and left them be.

So for Tsuna to pretend to be a girl...well, there was no harm done so long as he never took advantage of the misconception. Though odds were if he did, the secret would be blown wide open anyway and things forcibly sorted out.

For now, Nana's friends kept their mouths shut about the little game the mother and son were playing.

* * *

Kyouya Hibari liked things orderly. He liked quiet. He had a secret love of small animals.

What he didn't like was when things didn't fit in, like rumors of a girl using the boy's restroom.

As with all things, when such a rumor reached his ears and the teachers did nothing to put an end to such disorderly behavior (the genders were separated for a _reason_ , especially after puberty hit) he decided to do something about himself.

What he expected and what he got were entirely two different things.

Sawada Tsuna looked and acted like the epitome of a small animal. Hibari had caught the girl going into the boy's bathroom and grabbed her the second she came out, dragging her to his office.

"Explain, now. Why is a girl using the boy's restroom?"

Because such behavior was perilously close to entering the changing rooms, which he would never allow.

Tsuna flinched.

"Because I'm not actually a girl."

Hibari stared at her. She looked and acted like any other girl in the school, and wore the clearly female uniform.

His staring turned dark.

"Then why are you wearing the girl's fuku instead of the boy's uniform?"

Tsuna sighed in exasperation.

"Not this argument again... I'm only doing it to make my mother happy."

"Your mother is forcing you to crossdress?" said Hibari incredulous. That was borderline abuse. Something he would have to correct.

Tsuna flinched at the accusation.

"No! It's just... my dad is either dead or he doesn't care about us at all, so it's just me and my mother. She was always sad all the time, until as a joke she had me put on one of her old clothes and she could pretend for a bit I was a girl. I noticed that most of the guys who beat me up left me alone, and it made her happy with pretending so I kept on doing it. Next thing I know it had become a habit."

Hibari was a bit at a loss of what to do. From the sound of things, Tsuna Sawada had the most _bizarre_ coping mechanism he had ever heard of.

He narrowed his eyes at the girl? Boy?

"You haven't been peeping on the girls have you?"

Tsuna stared at him blankly.

"You busted me for using the _correct_ bathroom while wearing the girl's uniform. What do you think? With how clumsy I am it's easier to change beforehand and try not to blow my cover. Besides, none of the teachers have even noticed it."

The small animal wasn't causing harm... it was just cleverly disguising itself so the jackels would find new prey while keeping it's pack mother happy.

Still...he had to confirm this wasn't a stunt to earn a free pass into the girl's half of the school.

"Hmph. Small animal, I will inspect your home life before I render judgment. Until then, hold it in."

Tsuna looked relieved.

"Fair enough."

It was close to the end of the day anyway, so he could do that much at least. And having to feed _Hibari_ and have him see for himself that he really wasn't kidding about it being a minor habit of crossdressing to make his mother happy was a small price to pay.

* * *

 _A few hours later..._

Hibari had to revise his opinion of Tsuna Sawada.

His mother was more than just a bit of an airhead...she was genuinely oblivious to the point he would be willing to bet she wouldn't have properly noticed any damage done to her cub unless it required hospitalization. There was some sort of problem with her mind... he had noticed her eyes were unusually glazed over to the point it raised suspicions.

As if there was some other force at work there, one that originated from that carnivore's side of the world. However he wasn't about to ask for help from _him_ just out of a suspicion. Not without proof.

Tsuna's trick with cross dressing was brilliant in it's simplicity. It kept his mother from slipping too far into her own world and he learned valuable life skills at the cost of a little dignity.

Kyouya paused in the washroom of the Sawada home.

There were plenty of stories in Japan about kitsune who could shift between genders at will, playing minor tricks on the unwary. And Sawada clearly identified more as a "gender neutral" person than as a boy or a girl. So long as the den mother was happy, the pre-teen could shift between both sets at will.

And his control over the female herbivores was noticeably lacking...to say nothing of (shudder) the fan girl herds.

He could deal with several sets of annoyances and gain a useful spy at the same time.

Mind made up, Hibari returned downstairs and waited for the older Sawada to be preoccupied with dishes.

"Small animal, I will make a deal with you. I will allow you to continue your ruse at the school under certain conditions."

Tsuna relaxed. The worst Hibari could have done was say no and then "bite him to death" for the confusion he caused.

"First off, I want you to stop using the boy's bathrooms unless you are wearing the _correct_ uniform. The same goes for the physical classes."

Tsuna nodded. That was a small price to pay, but he had been more worried how Hibari would react if he was busted than he was about using the wrong bathrooms.

"Second. My control over the other female herbivores is somewhat lacking, due to gender bias (he looked disgusted that he had to reign in his violence for something as minor as _gender_ ) and the fact that very few are willing to bring me the information I need to crack down on the worst offenders."

"You want me to act as your inside informant, since most of those bullied are too afraid to speak up, and those that will are too scared to talk to you," said Tsuna, catching on.

Hibari nodded.

"If need be I can have you installed as my personal secretary."

Tsuna could see the advantages of the agreement.

Hibari would gain more control over the school, thus reducing the bullying issue that was still rampant because he wasn't allowed to go after the females without cause, and Tsuna's habit of crossdressing would go unnoticed. Though there was one small issue with the plan.

"The other students will talk you know. If they see us together they'll automatically assume..."

"Let them," said Hibari bluntly. "With any luck it will get those ridiculous fan girl herds to leave me alone once puberty hits and this way you won't be found out due to the herbivores getting _ideas_ once their hormones wake up."

Tsuna shuddered at the idea. The second any of the boys started making looks at him he was so out of there. It wasn't that he was adverse to dating a guy, it was just that most of the ones in his school were all jerks who had either joined in with the bullying or had openly mocked him at some point, with a few rare exceptions.

Pretending to date Hibari was a small price to pay for some protection against that.

"Do we have an agreement, little fox?"

Tsuna nodded.

"I'll act as your informant and as a shield against those insane fan girls in the school," he agreed...then he tilted his head. "Little fox?"

Hibari smirked.

"Foxes can change their gender to suit themselves and play tricks on the unwary," he explained.

Tsuna got the joke and his smile made Hibari widen his eyes.

The little fox was ridiculously cute, and with a smile like that... it was no wonder he had successfully been able to hide the fact he wasn't a girl.

Hibari smirked.

With any luck the little fox would prove quiet useful.

* * *

There is only one thing that can travel faster than anything, and that is rumor.

Within a week the girls were gossiping like mad about how timid little Tsunako ended up as Hibari's _personal_ secretary. Which oddly enough only seemed to elevate Tsuna's status among them, because despite his violent habits, his bloodthirsty unapproachable nature, and the fact that he had even the _teachers_ scared to get on his bad side he was still one of the most _popular_ boys in school.

Hibari Kyouya was rich (it was well known he lived in one of the more well-to-do neighborhoods), he had power (he had most of the male delinquents under his beck and call), he was intelligent (his grades never dipped below the high marks, despite outright ignoring classes or even skipping grades on a whim), and most importantly for the preteen girls...he was unbelievably attractive.

For females just now starting to look at boys with interest, Hibari was very much a catch.

He was like a lone wolf who claimed the school as it's territory.

And Tsunako of all people had managed to catch his eye. His fan girls were almost in mourning...except the girl was rather timid and definitely weak, so disposing of her would be no problem at all. After all, she was going to show the others what Hibari's likes and dislikes were when they finally started to go after him for real.

Tsuna found it rather amusing, really.

Hibari wasn't even interested in that nonsense, outside of keeping such herbivore behavior far, far away from him if at all possible. He hated being around people, and Tsuna found he liked the peace and quiet almost as much as Hibari did.

At least he could work on his homework in peace for once, and Hibari was smart. Smart enough to know how to coach his "little fox" as he insisted on calling him in how to understand the material. He scoffed at the teachers for being incompetent in their job.

He would begin Tsuna's training soon enough, once her place in the school's herd was established. It wouldn't do for the sheep to realize that they had a fox on top of the vicious wolf in their midst.

After all, "Tsunako" was still too new for Tsuna to be able to come up with a good lie every time he risked being caught. Especially when the more vicious females figured out the source of Hibari's information.

Tsuna had already provided a list of females who would need reminders in their behavior. A list compiled over the past week alone... he still needed a female omnivore to deal with them personally, which was a pain.

Hibari had to blink. Was Tsuna actually purring while he sat next to him?

Yes... apparently the odd gender fluid kid was actually purring. What the fuck.

Well at least it made the animal comparison a lot easier.


	2. Chapter 2

"How adorable."

Hibari almost jumped up with tonfas in hand...except Tsuna had apparently fallen asleep against him thanks to the warm weather and clear skies.

Oddly, he didn't mind the small animal's presence that much.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed, almost like an angry cat.

He felt the little fox blink a little as he woke up, before he registered the third presence on the roof and squeaked in surprise.

It was a baby. One who looked disturbingly like Hibari save for the long braid and serene looking eyes. He was wearing some sort of Chinese robe in bright red and had an equally bright red pacifier around his neck. He looked openly amused at the sight of Tsuna and Hibari napping like cats on the roof.

"Merely confirming something your father mentioned. I thought he was joking, but apparently he wasn't."

Hibari narrowed his eyes at the fake infant.

"Um... who are you?"

"Apologies miss. My name is Fon...you could say I am a relative of Kyouya's, as much as he hates admitting to it."

Tsuna blinked. A slow smile came upon his face, and it didn't take long for an honest to god smirk to slowly crawl upon Hibari's own face.

"My name is Sawada Tsuna."

Fon had to wonder what exactly had his grandson so amused. Kyouya normally didn't feel anything except annoyance and irritation whenever he visited, but right now his aura felt outright _smug._

It interested him so much in fact that he ended up spending the day with the adorable couple. Tsuna didn't seem to overly mind Fon using her as a way to get around...short legs were such a pain... but the sense of amusement continued the entire day.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something off about little Tsuna.

While her mannerisms and speech patterns matched what he knew of typical young females (which he had an unfortunate number of experiences to draw from, since being cursed), the way she moved felt wrong.

It bothered him so much he sat down and observed the girl with his full attention looking for the discrepancies...and then it hit him. The reason why Kyouya was more amused than anything. Why Tsuna felt "off" for lack of a better term.

To be honest if he hadn't reached out with his Chi to feel the "girl" out he would never have guessed it.

Girls had a distinctive aura that was unique from a boy's. Tsuna, however, had the aura of a boy.

Fon's smile widened as he chuckled in amusement.

"I have to admit, you had me fooled for quite a while," he said lightly, gauging their reactions.

Neither child batted an eye at being caught. They were more dismissive than concerned.

"The little fox is very good at hiding in plain sight," said Kyouya smugly.

"I will agree that _he_ is indeed very good. If you hadn't been so smug I might not have caught on at all," said Fon chuckling. For more than one reason. Not only had his grandson gotten one over on him for several hours, but he could tell from the possessive tone alone that Kyouya had claimed the "little fox" as his.

It was almost a pity that the _boy_ wasn't a Sky.

Tsuna looked perfectly at ease, despite being outed as a boy wearing a sailor fuku, as opposed to the usual gakuran.

"May I inquire as to why you started this deception in the first place?"

Kyouya's aura shifted. He was wary of something, but wasn't about to voice his suspicions outright.

"You'll have to visit the fox's den and figure it out yourself."

"I'm sure Mama won't mind. We might even make that hamburger steak you like so much for dinner."

Fon once again used Tsuna to keep up. The boy was an enigma. But there was something about him that still bothered Fon. It felt almost familiar in a way, which was ridiculous because what could a mere child have done to warrant one of those being used? Especially something so...archaic.

Within ten minutes of being in the Sawada home, Fon picked up exactly what had his grandson so wary...and why Tsuna had likely started crossdressing in the first place.

Sawada Nana was under Sky Infection. A nasty case of it, though it seemed she had found a way to anchor herself in a somewhat more healthy fashion than some of the cases he had seen.

Her son was very clever and caring, to figure out that sacrificing a little dignity would help his mother. Nana could focus on her "daughter" and allow the son to exist in the background. It wasn't real in the least and she knew that at a subconscious level, but the energy it took to keep that illusion going was eroding the infection at a healthy rate.

Kyouya must have found out and taken advantage of it, while allowing the younger boy to continue the ruse in peace.

Fon was frowning behind his sleeve.

A woman suffering severe Sky Infection. A boy who felt very much like he was under one of the older archaic Sky Seals which did more damage than any actual good, especially if the poor bastard was a Sky as well.

The only known case Fon had heard of that seal being used on a Sky had resulted in a mercy killing soon after, because while the Flames were rendered inaccessible except under the most _extreme_ circumstances, Sky Attraction was able to slip out and cause far too much attention.

His Flames naturally called Guardians to him, but because of the seal he couldn't harmonize and it drove him insane.

There was a _reason_ why that particular seal was banned without Vindice approval.

"So, what started this little deception?"

"Mama put me in a dress as a joke, mostly to see what I would look like as a girl...she looked so happy seeing me like that I couldn't bear to tell her no. I quickly realized she was more...there...when I did it, so I started wearing skirts and the like more regularly. Most of her friends have learned to tune it out, since it's helping the pain she has being away from _him_ , since he never comes home. So long as I don't start doing perverted things while I'm dressed like this, it's okay. Besides, if I did I'm fairly sure Hibari would kick my ass anyway before openly busting me."

Hibari smirked in agreement.

"And that's before I realized making everyone believe I'm actually a girl kept the worst of the bullies away. I used to get beat up a lot, especially after the incident where I had a nasty fall from the tree outside."

Fon's frown deepened.

"Nasty fall?"

"My father came over with an old man and two others. I don't remember most of it, but apparently when I was climbing a tree to get a ball down I fell and hit my head. Ever since then it always felt like my head is filled with cold syrup when I try to think and my limbs feel sluggish if I try to run or do things too fast."

Fon blinked.

That sounded _exactly_ like someone had applied a Sky Seal to a child without bothering to research the effects. A _Flame Active_ child.

What idiot would seal an Active Flame that young, rather than give them proper training? Hell, what Active Sky wouldn't know the signs of Sky Infection and allow a case this bad to continue?

"Do you have a picture of your father?" asked Fon seriously. If only so he knew who was about to get a very thorough chewing out.

Tsuna frowned.

"He keeps sending these stupid post cards... but I think I do have one. It's not very recent though..."

The second Fon saw the face on the picture (the boy had to be at least three, maybe just shy of four at the time and he was pushing eleven now) his own expression went blank.

Well... this certainly brought up far too many questions of the man's competence. He would have to tell the Triads to be leery of the Vongola if their External Adviser hadn't caught on to what was actually happening.

The more Fon questioned Tsuna about his father (if Iemitsu really was his father) the more things didn't add up.

Exactly how far had the Vongola fallen if none of them had caught this? The crossdressing he could understand, someone would have simply mistaken the 'girl' to be a tomboy when she was younger. But the signs Nana were displaying were very recognizable and it should have been caught a long time ago.

He was not happy. To place a seal that barbaric on a child was inexcusable.

* * *

Hibari was less than pleased. Fon was _not_ leaving the city until he cleared this up, if only for his own peace of mind. Apparently whatever was wrong with his little fox had really, really pissed the carnivore off.

Fon was rather soft when it came to children. And he definitely knew what was wrong with the older Sawada.

At least the carnivore was mooching off their hospitality rather than annoying him.

And then he spotted more fake infants in the city and he had to refrain from growling. At least he didn't have to deal with them.

* * *

Tsuna's situation wasn't nearly as obvious, so Fon had him visit Kyouya for a while. Odds were the boy was a Rain or a Sun, so his situation could be fixed once they found a Sky strong enough to overpower the Seal on him.

If he hadn't used his Chi to figure out what the two boys were hiding, he never would have noticed it in the first place. He would introduce his Storm dragons to whoever was stupid enough to use that particular seal.

Reborn hissed when he saw what they were dealing with. Fon had been exaggerating in the least when he said that it was bad.

Hell, the only reason the Storm recognized it was because some of the women in the Triads had the same symptoms, though at least those Skies knew what was wrong and took steps to keep the damage to a minimum since it was nearly impossible to treat!

Anyone who deliberately caused it was usually killed off very quickly. It wouldn't do for such fools to get it in their heads and Infect someone's daughter, thus ruining her.

"How long do you think this has been going on?" asked Reborn.

"Hmph. From the symptoms alone I'd have to say it's old damage. The Sky in question hasn't been around in some time, and it appears as though someone has been actively eroding the effects on her," said Verde tersely.

It wasn't that he cared about others, but it was very rare for him to find a specimen who displayed signs this bad to test some of his machine on. Not that Nana was aware of it... Fon had discreetly slipped a few sleeping medicines that would keep her under without harm into her tea. She was out cold, and wouldn't wake for a few hours.

"Her son figured out a way to divert some of the effects without any harm to either of them," said Fon.

He wasn't about to expose Tsuna to Reborn or Verde. If he had to, he'd ask Luce's family for help in removing the seal, and with any luck finding the idiot who put it there.

"What did he do?" asked Reborn, curious.

Fon smirked.

"I think you'd like him. His mother put him in a dress as a joke and he noticed that she acted differently when he pretended to be a girl, so he continued to do it until the hobby stuck."

"He's going to have identity issues if he keeps that up," commented Reborn. Thought it was brilliant in it's simplicity. Giving the mother something else to focus on other than the mystery Sky allowed the worst of the infection to bleed off safely.

"That could explain the results I'm seeing," said Verde.

He'd almost swear that a second, stronger Sky was eroding the Infection away, though that would take years to work and only if the original source was never re-introduced into the equation.

"Where is the son anyway?" asked Reborn.

"He's with Kyouya. Apparently my grandson is quite fond of his 'little fox'," said Fon with amusement.

"Little fox?" repeated Verde, not getting the reference.

"Foxes in Japanese lore are prone to switch genders on a whim and play tricks on people," clarified Reborn. "And if this kid has taken to cross dressing to help his mother..."

Verde's confusion cleared up.

"I must admit, his trick was good enough to have me fooled for several hours. If they hadn't been so amused at the whole thing I never would have figured it out," said Fon.

Reborn smirked at him. If they had fooled Fon then the kid must have gotten very good.

"So what does he use the 'little fox' for. I don't see that carnivore brat letting this slide for free."

Fon hid his amusement behind his sleeve.

"He has the boy acting as an informant and fan girl shield. Most of the females are too afraid to report to him or his minions directly, but his 'secretary' on the other hand isn't frightening in the least."

Reborn snickered.

No wonder the carnivore brat called the other boy "little fox".


	3. Chapter 3

To say Aria was surprised to hear from Fon was an understatement. Then she found out why, and she immediately offered to help.

A young Flame should be cherished and nurtured, not forcibly sealed away before it could blaze as brightly as possible. It went against the natural instincts of an Active Flame to harm a young one.

Fon was already arranging for the two young ones (because Kyouya wasn't letting his little fox out of his sight) to visit Italy during the summer months.

Even if he did have to warn Aria about the youngest child's quirks.

When the day came, she waited expectantly to meet the little one that had caught a Cloud's interest. He had to be something _special_ to grab someone as finicky as a Classic Cloud.

(Fon had mostly told her that in warning... Clouds were notoriously difficult to deal with, especially a Classic Cloud as strong as his grandson.)

She felt like she should _know_ the child that stepped out first. It looked like a little girl, but Fon had mentioned that one of the boys liked to dress up in "odd" clothing. The other child looked like a younger, more feral version of Fon sans pacifier.

That would be Kyouya then and of course Fon was soon after him on his shoulder.

Once the pleasantries were over, Aria looked at the seal Fon had found by accident.

And she was _livid_.

"This is utterly barbaric! Who on earth would seal a Sky as pure as this little one so young?!"

Fon almost started.

"Are you sure?"

Aria gave him a look.

"This seal is old...it must have been applied at least when they were five or close to it. And it seems like they are trying to break it... some of the seal looks eroded in parts."

"But that would only happen if the victim was stronger than the one applying it."

"This little one is the purest Sky I've ever felt. Bar none. If the seal hadn't been applied when it had..."

Fon's eyes widened at the implications she wasn't saying. That if the seal hadn't been used, the boy would almost certainly have been tapped as the next Sky Arcobaleno instead of her.

He didn't know whether to pity the kid or be glad that a child had avoided that fate. Considering the seal though...

"Is there any chance he would be tapped once unsealed?" asked Fon.

Aria had opted to age normally, rather than take the "chibi" part of the curse. As a result her life span was short. But at least she had her daughter.

"It's entirely possible...so long as the damage isn't too great and he's trained properly."

Fon looked pensive. He would essentially be choosing which child would have to take on the Sky Arcobaleno curse.

Kyouya, having overheard most of it, glared at him.

"Does this mean my little fox will become as small as you?"

"It depends on whether or not he wants to have children later. If not, then he could remain this size for years with no ill effects. If he does, he'll have traded his normal life span for a shorter one just to age properly."

"How long?" asked Kyouya.

"How long what?"

"How long will he have until whatever curse you have is passed on to him? I won't let him remained sealed," said Kyouya flatly.

He was very possessive of his little fox. The idea of a lesser herbivore tainting him with a seal was unacceptable.

Fon blinked.

"Consider the damage that particular one does, especially to Skies, we weren't planning to leave it on in the first place. If actually worked and was done for good reason, I might have accepted it, but it was placed on an innocent child who did nothing to deserve it. The question is who is going to pay for damaging the little fox."

Tsuna was still skittish and very clumsy, but most of the damage could be fixed. His little trick with disguising his actual gender had done wonders to heal not only his mother, but his own soul as well. He wouldn't be in the least bit shocked if the boy had developed a Mist secondary because of it. Or even became a Misty Sky.

"I'm not strong enough, and Yuni isn't old enough or Active to remove the seal...however..."

There was one person she thought could break it. Except with it came bringing the boy to the attention of a child who was rather flighty to say the least.

Who knows, perhaps introducing them could settle the child down for once.

Aria had some calls to make.

* * *

Tsuna stared at the albino boy who was a little older than him. Byakuran (the albino) stared back with endless fascination...it was almost a little creepy, except he caught Kyouya doing that more than once too and he was fine with that.

"So... if I break this seal I can visit him whenever I want?"

Fon smiled.

"I don't see why not. Just be careful with his mother... she's suffering under Sky Infection."

Byakuran blinked.

"I thought that condition faded because the Alliance started cracking down on idiots who caused it, and made a point to get the Vindice involved?"

"Not in the Triads, though odds are the one who did that to her is the same fool who sealed Tsuna in the first place. In which case feel free to call the Vindice on them and explain the situation. We've already got the documentation to prove our case," said Fon.

They had taken Tsuna and Nana to specialists to have proof that the Vindice could believe, and they were also documenting that Byakuran was assisting them in removing a poorly applied seal on a _civilian_ Sky.

Whoever pulled this stunt was going to have more than just the Giglio Nero and the Gesso on their ass, that was for damn sure.

"So... can I still visit you?" asked Byakuran hopefully. Everyone found him creepy and rarely wanted to be around him.

"I don't have to dress like a guy when you visit, right?" asked Tsuna. Cross dressing was his safety net.

"Nope," said Byakuran.

"Okay then. But we'll have to leave Kyouya behind because he hates crowding and has a habit of biting people to death if he has to deal with it," said Tsuna.

Byakuran was _weird_ , but then again so was he. He could put up with quirks, so long as he didn't have to be a boy to do it.

The albino looked very happy hearing that. Maybe now he would have a proper friend to hang out with. Even if he was a civilian who had only been brought into the mafia because of the seal mess and the fact his mother was suffering from Sky Infection.

"So how do I undo the seal anyway?" asked Byakuran, popping in a marshmallow. He looked delighted when Tsuna accepted some when offered the bag.

Aria walked him through it. Basically he had to overload the seal with his Sky Flames. The trick was to pull back the _second_ the seal gave, to avoid Scorching. But with an experienced Sky guiding him, that risk should be minimal.

At first it seemed like nothing happened... except they _all_ felt when the seal shattered.

One moment there was nothing, the next it was like an inferno was unleashed from a tiny body. The flames were the purest any of the adults had ever felt, and Tsuna instinctively reeled them back in until only an ember remained on his forehead, though his eyes went from a light brown to an amber color.

Fon stared, he couldn't help it.

"Is that...Hyper Dying Will Mode?" he said in disbelief.

As if a switch was flipped, Tsuna dropped to the ground unconscious. But his Flames were curling under his skin almost lazily now that they weren't being held back.

"That was interesting~!" said Byakuran, having been knocked back.

He knew that Skies generally had certain reactions to other Skies. Aria was a bit leery of having him nearby but put up with it with the tolerance of a mother.

But Tsuna... his Flames had been cautious for all of a few seconds before curling around him like a warm hug. It was really nice.

"Dios Mio... who the hell would seal a Sky like that?" said Aria's Rain in shock.

The kid was _strong_ , and his Flames were so open that it wouldn't be that hard to accept Guardians. What idiot thought sealing a child with Flames like that was acceptable?

Aria's eyes narrowed.

"It seems whoever did this must have felt threatened to pull a stunt like this."

It was the only explanation. Tsuna had immediately gone into Resonance with the other Skies in the room the second the seal broke, and he barely knew them. That almost _never_ happened.

"Please tell me we recorded that," said Fon. They would need proof for the Vindice of the seal being removed.

Aria's Lightning helpfully held up a camera, still recording.

Whoever did this was going to have hell to pay...and that was before they got the Vindice involved.

* * *

Tsuna slept for two full days, and when he woke he found Kyouya using him as a heater...with Byakuran on the other side.

Meh. He was too lazy to get up.

Aria walked in and took one look before giggling at the sight. It was too cute.

Once Kyouya was told the seal was removed and Tsuna was left in one of the bedrooms to sleep it off, he had become particularly grumpy if anyone came too close to his "little fox". So much so that he went Active and Fon had to "play" with him to calm down his Cloud instincts.

Aria had let the boy share the same bed as Tsuna (mostly because despite how he looked, they were still boys) which had soothed the Skylark's predator instincts.

She wasn't surprised in the least to find that his Cloud Flames had latched on to Tsuna's Sky and harmonized within hours. After all, he had been orbiting the boy for over six months now and the two had developed a friendly bond over their little secret.

Fon was just glad his nephew had found a Sky who would actually treat him like a friend.

Byakuran, the little sneak, had taken the other side of Tsuna...and refused to leave. So long as he wasn't trying to tempt Kyouya away from his "little fox", the boy was content to ignore his presence.

"How are you feeling?" asked Aria.

"Better... it feels like my head isn't swimming in cold syrup anymore and it's not freezing."

"Well you should have one more check-up to be safe, and a few more for the next year at three month intervals."

Tsuna didn't mind... he actually felt like himself, not as if he was wearing the skin of someone who wore too tight clothing.

By the end of the week he was sent home with Kyouya and Fon. The Storm would stick around to make sure no one got any ideas while Tsuna was still vulnerable.

At worst he would have to move out of his house and stay with Kyouya until he had a full set of Guardians and real control over his Flames.

Fon paused at the thought. Until they knew _exactly_ who had Infected Nana, she was vulnerable and through her Tsuna. Being around her son was helping a great deal, but being around others who knew what they were doing would go much farther and give them the ability to capture the idiot who hurt her.

"Tell me Kyouya... how would you feel about Tsuna staying at your house with his mother for the foreseeable future?" said Fon with a sly smile.

Kyouya blinked.

"What are you up to carnivore?"

Fon didn't hear an immediate rejection to the idea.

"Think of it as protecting your little fox and his mother better. Someone did this to him, and he's too far away from you in that home for you to protect him effectively. By allowing them to 'den' with you, we protect the mother and by extension your little fox. If the Sky who harmed them comes looking, we'll have definitive proof who caused this mess...and get names of anyone else involved."

Kyouya's eyes went predatory.

Now he got it. By allowing the two to 'den' with him until they caught the culprit, he was given almost unlimited access to his little fox and he had bait to the false carnivore who hurt them.

"Will I be allowed to bite the false carnivore to death?" he asked eagerly.

Fon's smirk was almost as evil.

"I don't see why not, once we have the answers we need."

"Do I get a say in this?" asked Tsuna amused.

"Consider this Tsuna. Whoever did this to your mother and you only needs to Flare their Flames at her to make her completely obedient to anything the Sky tells her to do. _Anything_. She won't even realize what she's doing. Keeping you two with Kyouya and his little pack means both of you will be much safer."

Tsuna's face darkened.

"I suppose we could reroute all our mail to a post office box that one of the Disciplinary Committee could pick up for us... But how would we explain why we're staying at Kyouya's house?"

Ever since he woke up and found the two other boys between him, Kyouya had more or less ordered him to call him by his first name. Without the use of the usual prefix.

Well, Tsuna had already known his friend was beyond possessive...

"Remodeling," supplied Fon. "We can use that excuse and perform a few...upgrades... to the home and no one will suspect a thing. At least until you're old enough to move out."

"And naturally Kyouya insisted we stay with him while the renovations were complete because he knows my mother will keep cooking his favorites in exchange," said Tsuna dryly.

Was Kyouya actually _preening_ at the idea?

"Now how to tell your mother about this..."

"Make it look like a pipe burst under the kitchen," suggested Tsuna. "She won't think to question moving out of the house while that's being redone and I'm not sure when it was last inspected anyway."

Fon's eyes gleamed.

"I can do that."

Nana was dismayed at the loss of her beloved kitchen, but heartened when she found out where they were staying. Tsu-chan and Kyouya were such an adorable little couple, and they weren't even teenagers yet!

Especially since she got a 'letter' from Iemitsu saying he'd pay for all the repairs, unaware it was a forgery (Tsuna had said she would believe anything the letter claimed so long as the handwriting and feel was right) and that the ones paying were the Hibari clan.

Since Tsuna was the Sky of their volatile heir and the only one who could reign Kyouya in, it was a small price to pay. And it meant that they could add their own safeguards, rather than whatever paltry ones Iemitsu had put up.

They were appalled to find none, other than a few weak spies that had long since quite paying attention. Spies that were easily corrupted to continue sending false reports to CEDEF.


	4. Chapter 4

"Tsu-chan~!"

Tsuna didn't have to look up to know who it was. Only one person he knew called him that and sounded perpetually hyper.

"Hey Byakuran."

The albino immediately tackled Tsuna in a hug. The gender-fluid teenager (he hated being short) barely managed to remain standing through two years of practice.

Byakuran raised an eyebrow at the two 'bumps' he felt.

"How..."

"Misty Sky~" sing-songed Tsuna. Fon had paid someone he knew to teach him the finer points of the Mist Flame. The short and simple of it was that he could now literally change genders at will and turn into a fox for Kyouya to cuddle when he was being extra grumpy. Outside of that, he didn't really mess with it.

Byakuran's own "lessons" in Sky Flame had been sporadic, but at least now he could reign it in and fly without crashing. Again. For the hundredth time that year.

The albino had almost laughed himself sick watching that mess.

Byakuran grinned openly. Tsu-chan was such an interesting little fox... he blinked.

"Are those fox ears?" he said in fascination.

The ears twitched from the messy mane "she" had. He rubbed them, fascinated, and his eyes widened with glee when Tsuna started purring under the ministrations.

"That is beyond cute~!" said Byakuran with glee.

"Stop that!" Tsuna batted away his hand. "So how long are you visiting?"

"I wanted to introduce you to the most adorable little Sun Latent who happens to live in town~"

He had run into Shōichi during a technology convention he had gone to purely to escape the evils of paperwork. The second he realized where the red head lived and that he was a Latent (on top of being a genius almost on par with the infamous Verde), Byakuran had decided to snatch the boy up before anyone else realized what a treasure he was.

Shōichi had been surprised when Byakuran approached him with an offer for funding...and some marshmallows from the bag the boy always had on him.

He was just waiting for Shōichi to become Active before he properly made the boy his Sun.

"Byakuran! What are you doing here?!" hissed Shōichi, already feeling one of his anxiety attacks coming on.

Tsuna blinked. He knew what that tone meant.

"You basically befriended him without giving him a choice, didn't you?"

"Of course~"

Tsuna sighed.

"Hi, I'm Tsuna and the only _willing_ friend this idiot has that has yet to go insane. If you need a filter for the sugar-happy idiot, let me know."

Shōichi blinked at the odd introduction. He also felt a little flushed for some reason.

"What?"

"Tsu-chan, you're not trying to steal him from me are you?" asked Byakuran.

"No, but he will need someone to use as a buffer until he gets used to you," deadpanned Tsuna. "I already have a Sun lined up anyway. Once we can calm him down and get him off Dying Will Mode."

Ryohei was in an almost permanent state of Dying Will Mode, hence the excess energy. Tsuna had high hopes he could convince Colonello to help them turn it off, or at least give them an idea to properly redirect the poor kid's energy away from exercising and boxing. As he was now, he was stuck in a rut that wouldn't do him any good.

Kyouya had already had to deal with one idiot group of teenagers who were pissed off that the kid had beaten them in boxing by targeting his sister. The only reason it _failed_ was because Tsuna had been with Kyoko at the time and the two were heading to her house to try some new recipes while Nana was at a community meeting.

He had not been pleased the older fake carnivores had tried a trick on his territory.

"Uh...come in?"

Byakuran looked pleased, and Tsuna had a look of tolerant amusement on their face.

Tsuna found that they preferred gender-neutral pronouns. Even if it sounded like s/he was speaking in the third person a lot.

On the plus side, Tsuna had acquired a new friend to talk to in town. Even if he had yet to find out about the mafia just yet.

* * *

Today was the day. Tsuna was practically bouncing around with glee, for multiple reasons.

It was summer vacation, and they were going to spend an entire week at a moving island resort called Mafia Land.

Kyouya had almost declined the invitation, but he had been tempted with the idea of Tsuna in a swim suit while in girl form and the fact they'd more or less ditch Ryohei with Colonello for a few days to hopefully fix his problem.

Even if it meant having to deal with the annoyance that was Byakuran for most of it.

"Tsu-chan! Are you ready for your trip with your friend?" asked Nana. "It was so nice of Byakuran to let you join in on his family vacation!"

The Italian was very odd, but a total sweetheart.

There was a marked difference in Nana from how she was before. Her eyes were much clearer and she wasn't acting as "oblivious" to everything around her like before.

Though she still had trouble remembering she had given birth to a son, rather than a daughter, a fact that wasn't helped in the least by the fact Tsuna could now literally switch between genders at will.

Tsuna was slightly horrified to learn that the switch was complete enough to the point that she actually _had_ a menstrual cycle once a month if she stayed in female form too long. Only slightly. The ickiness of the whole mess was only helped by the fact that no one would ever figure out that the original Tsuna had been crossdressing for years.

Fon had looked torn between fascinated when he heard about how _well_ Tsuna had taken to Viper's lessons on Mist flames...and laughing his ass off at the look on the teen's face.

Viper/Mammon had no such confusion. The moment the Mist Arcobaleno had heard what happened, they started laughing their ass off for _days_. Even looking at Lussuria set the Mist off.

It took a _lot_ of bribery for their fellow Varia Elite to get the story out of the 'toddler'. A _lot_.

Lussuria had been thrilled and was promised that as long as they didn't have a mission at the time, that Mammon would introduce the Okama to the gender-switching kid. Odds were that Tsuna and Luss would get along like fire.

"I think Byakuran is just happy to have a friend who can put up with his crazy," said Tsuna cheerfully. "And who makes an awesome marshmallow pie."

The second he tried the marshmallow pie that Kyoko had taught them to make, he had damn near glomped her with glee. If they had been a few years older Tsuna would have feared for their chastity.

Nana hid a smile. Her little Tsu-chan was just too cute for their own good.

"Well I'm going to be spending some girl time with Kyouya's mother while you're gone. I heard she had some new Chinese recipes and I can never get them quite right without help," said Nana.

Tsuna would have felt a twinge of guilt for that Mist-laced compulsion for her mother to stay in the Hibari compound whenever she was hijacked by Byakuran, but it was the lesser evil. Besides, her mother seemed to genuinely enjoy the company of Kyouya's mother Yue and the two got along like a house on fire when it came to sharing recipes or gushing about what a cute couple their children made.

They preferred their mother _safe_ over any feelings of morality that might be had from a Mist compulsion. Even if paying Mammon to leave it there had been a headache and a half.

Byakuran was already waiting when Tsuna and Kyouya arrived at the private air strip.

"Tsu-chan~ Ready to have fun in Mafia Land?"

"Where's Onii-san?" asked Tsuna.

The loud "EXTREME!" from inside the plane had Tsuna chuckle.

"Never mind. Please, Inari-sama, may Colonello help us find a way to redirect that endless energy of his before he drives poor Kyoko-chan up the wall once boys start to notice her..." said Tsuna.

Kyouya and Byakuran snorted in unison. Ever since Tsuna mastered the fun art of switching genders on a whim and really took to the whole "kitsune" idea, they had become a devout follower of Inari. Mostly as a joke.

"Remember, you're allies with the Gesso familigia if anyone asks. Since you're too new to be a proper Family, yakuza or otherwise it's safer if they know you're with us," said Byakuran.

He was going to leave his secondary Sun with Ryohei to make sure the teen didn't get into a mess he couldn't handle. He was technically a civilian until he bonded with Tsuna after all.

Tsuna beamed at him, all sunshine and sparkles. Byakuran grinned while Kyouya grunted in annoyance. That damn smile was going to be trouble later, he knew it.

"Thanks for bringing us, Byakuran. I've been wanting to see this place since you mentioned it~"

Byakuran gave her a one armed hug and grinned wider when the other teen snuggled into his side. Best of all Tsuna had even brought out not just the ears, but the lazy tail that wrapped around their waist. It only increased the cuteness level.

Tsuna was very much a cuddler, especially when female and around friends who knew the truth and accepted it.

* * *

 _In Mafia Land..._

Colonello had a rather terrifying grin on his face when told why they needed his help. Tsuna almost felt sorry for Ryohei.

Almost.

On the plus side, they had a very good feeling about finally acquiring the loud teen as a Sun by the time they left.

The rides were awesome, the food was excellent (when Byakuran wasn't pestering Kyouya to try something other than Japanese or the odd Chinese food) and Tsuna loved the double takes people kept doing when they saw the ears and tail, before muttering "mist".

It was a blast!

Even if their instincts were telling them something big was happening back at home. There hadn't been any calls, so it was obviously being handled, but Tsuna had a feeling something major would happen when they got home.

It was about four days in (Ryohei would join them by the next morning so he could enjoy Mafia Land properly too... he had a new idol in Colonello-sensei, who he found to be VERY extreme in the best way) that Tsuna heard a squeal and felt someone glomp them.

"What adorable ears and tail, darling~"

Tsuna blinked, and registered three things.

One, the person hugging them was a male Sun. Two, they had some very interesting fashion sense, especially with that green hair. Three, there was a very familiar crest on their clothing.

Tsuna brightened.

"Are you Lussuria?" they asked innocently.

"Aw, the little cutie knows who I am~!" said the Okama in delight.

"Mammon-sensei mentioned you while they were helping me with my Mist Flame~! Something about having a very interesting colleague would would understand my situation."

Lussuria looked at Tsuna with open delight.

"You must be Tsu-chan! Those ears and tail are absolutely adorable!"

"I know, right? Kyouya insists on calling me his little fox since I can chose my gender, so I decided why not play it up? Plus it means I can have so many more options when it comes to clothes!" said Tsuna enthusiastically.

Lussuria held a hand to their heart.

"We simply must go shopping, darling~! I can already think of so many cute outfits for you too!"

Belphegor never let the Sun dress him up, to Lussuria's disappointment.

Tsuna already had their phone out.

"Okay, I let Byakuran and Kyouya know who I'm with, so I should be fine until sundown at least."

"Byakuran as in the Gesso Family heir?" said Lussuria with interest.

"He invited me and my two Guardians to a week's vacation here. He's weird, but a good friend," chirped Tsuna.

"You simply _must_ tell me how you got started with your hobby darling~! But first, to the shopping!"

"Okay!" said Tsuna happily. Their intuition told them Lussuria was safe, and that was all they needed.

* * *

Kyouya was openly staring at the number of bags there were in the room. As was Byakuran.

"Dear kami, what the hell happened in here?" said Kyouya openly in shock.

"Shopping spree with a like-minded individual," said Tsuna. Their voice came from somewhere in the pile.

"How many stores did you hit?" said Byakuran in awe.

"Twenty. Lussuria is scarily good at picking out combinations and must have picked up haggling from Mammon," said Tsuna. "I got some new outfits for you too, Byakuran~!"

The albino perked up.

"How did you get my measurements?"

"Got them from your Mist," said Tsuna cheerfully. They popped out of the pile with three bags, and Byakuran took a look at what was inside. His interest went up when he saw what the outfits looked like.

"As excellent as ever, Tsu-chan~!"

The one outfit he had in his hands was a marshmallow white hoodie with lavender trim, and it fit him perfectly. There were some light purple pants, rather than white because Tsuna and Lussuria agreed that for a mafioso, white pants simply "wasn't done". That and it was a total bitch to get blood out of white.

Lussuria, or "Sorella" as they insisted they call him, knew this from experience. There was a reason why the Varia uniform was mostly black.

Byakuran loved it immediately.

Kyouya saw the way Tsuna was looking at him, and barely registered the two bags being shoved his way.

"I got something for you too. Wasn't sure if you would actually wear it, but Sorella seemed to think it would suit your personal style."

Kyouya looked and found what looked like a traditional mafia-style outfit, with a violet-purple tie and pressed white shirt. He tried it on...and to his surprise it suited him. Very well in fact. There was some room for him to grow, so he wouldn't have to get a new one for a while. The outfit left plenty of room for movement and made him look even more dangerous than ever.

"Wao. It's acceptable, little fox."

Tsuna beamed at him.

"I got something for Ryohei too. If we're lucky I can introduce him to Sorella and they can share tips. Apparently he's a Muy Thai expert," said Tsuna with a chirp.

Byakuran snorted.

"Just ask 'Sorella' not to share some of his habits. Ryohei's sister might not appreciate them, with as much as she already puts up with."

Kyoko might very well kill someone if Ryohei picked up even a _hint_ of what he had heard about the Varia Sun's perversions. Good thing the boy was a bit too young to suit the man's preferences.


	5. Chapter 5

It was the apocalypse. Ryohei had gotten along with Lussuria immediately, especially after Byakuran had a word with the Varie Elite about his...habits. The cross dressing Kyoko could live with, especially after she found out Tsuna's original gender by accident. It wasn't like Ryohei could get away with it like Tsuna did.

However the perversions definitely would get the boxer in a lot of trouble with his sister.

Lussuria had looked positively delighted to see how well trained Ryohei was, and how quickly the teen had taken to a few minor moves of Muy Thai that he shared.

"You wouldn't mind if I trained this little one, would you?" asked Lussuria hopefully.

"Not at all, Sorella. The more experienced Ryohei is, the better he can protect his little sister and his Family," said Tsuna with a chirp.

Ryohei had finally been coaxed out of Dying Will Mode, and Colonello said something about taking some of the unused vacation time to visit Namimori.

Left unspoken was that if he did, then it wouldn't just be Ryohei who'd suffer his training. Tsuna had found the obstacle course great fun, even if they had to switch back to their original gender to avoid ruining all their favorite outfits.

The doubletake Colonello did at seeing _that_ had been hilarious. Tsuna had pictures of his "WTF" face.

"Sorella is very Extreme!" agreed Ryohei. He liked training, and Lussuria was someone who had a similar fighting style... even if he knew most Muy Thai moves were banned from official boxing matches. Especially the middle school and high school ones.

Lussuria squealed. The best part was that the boy was a Sun as well, which meant that he could teach the little one all sorts of neat tricks!

"You sure you want to train, rather than have a few days in the park?" asked Tsuna.

Ryohei blinked, before he looked sheepish.

"I wouldn't mind picking up a few things for Kyoko before we leave."

Lussuria beamed.

"I'll make sure you have enough energy to get some things for your younger sister. I have an eye for outfits~!"

"They do! Your fashion sense is excellent Sorella!" chirped Tsuna.

With a ringing endorsement like that (and a list of the things Tsuna knew Kyoko actually liked left in the capable hands of Luss) they went back to the park. Ryohei was having fun, they got to be normal teenagers, and Tsuna got a lot of shopping done with an expert.

This had been a very fun week, and it wasn't even over yet!

* * *

Tsuna was enjoying a gelato while walking when a silver haired figure almost collided with them.

Seeing the open look of panic in the boy's green eyes and the clear exhaustion on his face, Tsuna didn't even ask. He pulled the boy behind him and hid them under a Mist illusion.

Just in time too... a girl several years older than them both came around looking for someone. Likely the teen.

" _Tch. Excuse me, have you see a silver haired boy with punk clothing run this way?"_ asked the girl in Italian.

Tsuna dutifully pointed in the wrong direction. They knew it lead to an abandoned alley from experience...mostly from taking a wrong turn once. The girl headed that way immediately.

Once she was well out of eyesight and earshot, the boy breathed a sigh of relief.

" _Thanks,"_ he said.

"No problem," said Tsuna in Japanese. The teen blinked in surprise, but not before his stomach growled loudly. He hadn't had a chance to eat anything with that crazy girl after him and he was flat broke to boot. _"Want something to eat?"_

He looked cautious, almost like a wild animal that had been cornered or hit one too many times to trust random acts of kindness.

"Why should I trust you?" he asked in accented Japanese. Well that was a pleasant surprise.

"One, I could have let that crazy stalker catch you back there. Two, I can't stand seeing people go hungry...my mother would never let me hear the end of it. Besides you look like you could use a break from the craziness."

"How did you hide us from her?"

He wasn't even hidden that well.

"Mist~" said Tsuna with a chirp. Seeing the slight confusion on his face, they realized the other teen likely hadn't awakened the Storm flame they could clearly sense in him. Hmm... well, they hadn't acquired a proper Storm yet.

Seeing the girl again, Tsuna grabbed his hand and lead him far away from the main street and to this quaint little cafe they had spotted yesterday.

Without even a thought, they shifted from boy to girl with practiced ease.

The kid blinked in surprise.

"What the..."

"I find staying in one gender too long very boring, and she'll be looking for a boy and not a girl," explained Tsuna. "There's a reason my friends like to call me a fox."

The silverette clearly got the reference.

"Because kitsune are notorious for switch genders and tricking the unwary?"

Tsuna nodded.

"How does that even work?" he asked, openly fascinated. He was losing the wary expression he had, which was a good thing.

"Order and name first, and then I'll explain it to you as best I can," said Tsuna.

The boy stared at 'her' for a second before a slow smile came on their face.

"Fair enough. My name is Gokudera Hayato."

The poor teen hadn't eaten in several days and it showed. He was clearly embarrassed at Tsuna paying for what had to be the first proper meal he had in days, but the gender-fluid teen didn't seem to mind.

"Call me Tsuna. Anyway the basic gist of how Mist Flame works is actually very simple. If you believe in it enough, then anything is possible. I mostly use it to be whatever gender I feel like, and give myself fox features," admitted Tsuna.

They _could_ use Mist flame offensively, but they mostly just used it for fun and to confuse people. That and it was an excellent buffer for people trying to find a Sky in Namimori.

Most mafioso saw the obvious use of Mist and immediately dismissed Tsuna as the source. After all, Mists were known to screw with the perceptions of their enemies, so they _might_ be able to produce a false Sky reaction if they wanted.

A fact that amused Fon endlessly when he found out what Tsuna was doing. Hiding in plain sight was an excellent strategy for the teen.

Hayato seemed to relax the more Tsuna explained how Flames worked. At least until Tsuna asked why that girl was chasing him.

He winced.

"She's my half sister."

"I take it there's bad blood between you?"

"To put it mildly. She used to use me as a guinea pig for her poison cooking on our father's orders all the time. Especially when they wanted me to play the piano."

He didn't even know why he was saying this to a perfect stranger. But something told him to trust the other teen.

He couldn't help his surprise when he saw perfect understanding and sympathy in Tsuna's eyes.

"I can relate. I don't like my father much either, for multiple reasons. Hell, I wouldn't even know if it really _was_ him because I haven't seen the bastard since I was seven," said Tsuna. "Odds are I'd bolt if he came anywhere near me."

"There you are Tsu-chan~! Who's your little friend?"

Hayato had to stare in shock when he recognized the face. He knew the faces of all the important familigias and their heirs.

That the teen who saved his ass from Bianchi was so familiar with Byakuran of the _Gesso_... that was big.

"Byakuran, meet Hayato. Hayato, this is my crazy friend Byakuran."

"Hello~ You know your sister put up a bit of a bounty for your return. Not enough to tempt the real players, but enough to get information out of the weaker ones."

"Son of a bitch... so that's how she keeps finding me!" fumed Hayato. Wasn't it enough that she poisoned him so often as a kid?

Tsuna had an odd expression on their face.

"What do you think Byakuran? Would it be worth helping him out or not?" asked Tsuna.

"Well... you are in need of a proper Storm and with a bit of training he might be worth keeping," mused Byakuran.

Hayato looked confused, but there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Tsuna beamed at him.

"Tell me Hayato... how would you like a place to hide where your _sister_ (Tsuna said the word with clear distaste, as if Bianchi didn't deserve such a title) won't be able to bribe the thugs in learning where to find you?"

That spark of hope came through a bit more.

"Why?"

"Because you look like you have potential to be someone big, and I can relate to having family that needs to rethink their priorities," said Tsuna simply.

His eyes were wide.

No one, not a single person had ever said he had _potential_. At least not without meaning it sincerely as Tsuna did. That the odd teen could claim such a thing and actually _mean_ it... it blew him away. Especially when they were friends with the likes of the Gesso, who were a powerful familigia without actually being in the famous Vongola alliance.

Their heir was reportedly crazy as hell, but he didn't seem too dangerous.

And there was something about Tsuna that told Hayato to trust them.

"Where do I sign up?" he asked hopefully.

Tsuna's smile would have had him following the odd teen without question. There was real warmth in it and he felt a weird feeling spark in his chest. It felt gentle and nice.

* * *

Tsuna was in a good mood. Not only had they helped Ryohei find some nice presents for his sister, but he had two new "friends" who could give him advice on how to make his training even better.

Plus, shopping. Tsuna could never say no to that, or the one day that they indulged in cake and other treats with the girls.

Not only that, but Tsuna managed to find a decently strong Storm Latent that just needed a bit of polishing up before they could really shine. From the looks of it, Hayato had a lot of potential in him. Potential that was being wasted because the mafia had some ridiculous ideas about "bastard" children.

Religious reasons or not, the entire system being set against those born out of wedlock was stupid. As if a piece of paper and some words really made a difference in how effective you were.

Hayato was clearly in shock over the sudden change. He looked like he was having trouble processing it all. It was only on the plane that his brain fully stalled.

"Wao. Tsuna must really like you, if they're willing to curl against you in their original gender like that," said Kyouya amused at the way Hayato's brain went completely "blue screen of death".

"Wait, you mean..." he said, looking down at the other teen in shock.

"If you decide to stick around you'll get the full reason why he's like that," said Byakuran. "For now, just accept him as he is and you'll find he's a loyal friend who's fiercely protective of the ones he's claimed as his."

Hayato was mafia born and bred. A minor thing like a kid switching genders as easily as Tsuna did wasn't going to make him run away. He had seen weirder. Much, much weirder...like his sister's obsession with that weird toddler who people called the "World's Greatest Hitman". It was rather harmless considering some of the things he had seen.

"Um... how do I address..."

"Stick to gender neutral if you're unsure. Or you can just call them 'Tsu-chan' like I do. Tsuna really doesn't care and finds the whole gender identity thing rather boring. They still don't get what all the fuss is about," advised Byakuran.

Hayato nodded...though he did blush when the smaller 'boy' started actually purring in his lap. Tsuna had worn themselves out in Mafia Land, but you could see the contentment in his face.

"So how did you meet Tsu-chan?" asked Hayato. The purring got louder, for some weird reason.

Byakuran shared a look with Kyouya.

"You might find out later. Long story short though, the Giglio Nero introduced us because they needed my help removing something that shouldn't have been there."

Hayato's eyes widened further. The current head of the Giglio Nero familigia was almost as famous in the underworld as the Gesso heir. Both were powerful without the Alliance's help, though they were on amicable terms with the Alliance.

Any regrets he had about taking Tsuna's offer were quickly being eroded away into nothing.

* * *

The second the plane touched down in Namimori air port, Kyouya got a call.

"What?" Kyouya paused when he heard the rapid-fire Chinese, and his expression tightened. "What."

He looked _pissed_.

Tsuna woke up at the killing intent Kyouya was letting off.

"What is it?"

"We found the source of the Infection. The carnivore will be here by morning."

Tsuna woke up all at once.

"Who was it?"

"Sawada Iemitsu. He will be dealt with if he comes near the manor."

Iemitsu was still looking for his wife, and the one time he came too close to Nana, her discreet guards had noticed her affliction getting worse all at once.

The only reason that would happen would be if the Sky who caused the Infection was within the unseen range of the victim.

She had been bustled off straight to the Hibari manor and put under firm guard. She wasn't allowed to leave the house until they had the affliction under control again.

And if Iemitsu tried to press his luck with his "wife"...well he'd find out exactly where Kyouya got his Cloud flames and skills using his tonfas from.


	6. Chapter 6

Iemitsu's Intuition had been going off like crazy since he came home. His wife wasn't there and from the note it looked like his son would be gone for a while as well with a friend.

The thing was that he had been in the house for two days and Nana hadn't returned. And that had him worried.

It took him hours to find someone who could direct him to where she was, and it made him frown.

What in the hell was she doing _there_?

He spotted a girl about his son's age with almost identical hair walking by. She took one look at him, and squeaked before bolting straight into the manor with all the grace of a frightened rabbit.

He could sense the active Mist Flame and frowned more. His wife was in there with an Active Mist. This couldn't possibly be good, especially since he knew damn well that was the house of a very pissy Cloud kid who looked far too much like the Storm Arcobaleno to be a coincidence. The Mist girl looked really familiar, but he couldn't place why.

Suddenly his Intuition screamed at him to move, and he barely dodged a sniper's shot. It didn't save him from the follow up that he couldn't have seen coming.

"Hello Sawada-san. We need to have a very long talk about your behavior," said a voice dangerously low to the ground.

He looked down and flinched. The Storm Arcobaleno looked pissed at him for some reason, though he couldn't possibly imagine what. The fight was short and painful...for him. He had no idea when he blacked out, but he woke up in Flame-suppressing chains and a very pissed off Arcobaleno in the room.

"What the hell is going on? Where is my wife and son?"

Fon's eyes narrowed.

"First off, do you have any idea what you've done to your 'wife'?" he asked flatly.

Iemitsu stared at him blankly.

"I know I leave her alone a lot, but I don't see how that's any of your business."

"Your first visit in almost eight years? Considering what her condition is, it's a good thing you never cared much about them."

His blood ran cold.

"What condition?"

"Are you aware of the darker side of Sky Attraction?" he asked bluntly.

"Some Elements get so enamored with their Sky they become infected with the idea of pleasing them in order to be part of their Harmony. It's particularly common in Elements too weak to actually bond with a certain Sky. So what?"

Fon glared at him.

"Your wife's Mist Flame has become tainted with Sky Infection because of your incompetence. It's only because of Tsuna that her condition isn't even worse than it was."

Iemitsu paled.

"You're lying. My wife can't possibly be Infected!"

"Who sealed Tsuna?" asked Fon, using the opportunity to get more answers.

Iemitsu clammed shut.

"You can try to keep quiet, but if you don't tell me know you're going to suffer from his Cloud Guardian's wrath."

That got Iemitsu to talk, though not from the idea of a pissed off Cloud.

"What."

Fon's smile was cold.

"Your child is the Sky to my grandson," said Fon simply.

"That's impossible! The seal Nono put in place wouldn't have broken that easily unless..."

Fon's eyes narrowed.

"Nono as in Timoteo Vongola? You mean to tell me that the Vongola actually used such a barbaric sealing method on one of their own _deliberately?_ " said Fon furious.

Iemitsu glared at Fon.

"I will not drag my son into the mafia!"

"Considering the damage you did to him by using that particular seal, you should be thanking us. If we hadn't gotten to him in time he would have very likely been arrested by the Vindice without knowing why," said Fon bluntly.

He was absolutely disgusted with the Vongola now. To think that they would stoop so low to using such methods on a child. He left the room and Sawada behind. He'd leave the others to interrogate the man on all he knew about the seal.

He was starting to get a clearer picture of what happened though.

Iemitsu was an idiot, one who thought sealing an Active Sky was a better alternative to actually training the boy like he should have been from the start. He was too cowardly (or too weak) to seal his son himself, so he had Timoteo Vongola do it. Except the old man was getting on in years and had likely felt threatened by Tsuna's Flames, if only by instinct. He wouldn't want a mere child to usurp his own heir's claims to the Vongola title.

The fact he used such a barbaric and practically banned seal could mean a number of things. Either he wanted Tsuna dead discreetly or he was a complete idiot who had never bothered to research the proper methods.

Either way the Vindice were not going to be pleased hearing this.

"What's the verdict?" asked Byakuran darkly.

"The idiot had his own son sealed. He claimed he didn't want Tsuna in the mafia. He also said that he had the Vongola Nono perform the sealing, but we haven't verified it yet."

They had a record of the Sky Flame that had been used in the seal. It would take a bit of doing, but it would be easy to compare it to Timoteo Vongola.

If he really was responsible, then it was entirely likely one of his sons was about to be promoted to Decimo earlier than they anticipated.

He should probably warn the Triads about the upcoming shift.

Byakuran was already on the phone.

It was confirmed. Timoteo of the Vongola was the one who sealed Tsuna. The Flame signature was an identical match, and the time lines matched up with the general date of when Tsuna was sealed.

The Alliance was going to be _pissed_ when they found out about this... to say nothing of how the Vindice would react.

A furry head popped out of one of the nearby rooms. Fon chuckled at the sight.

Tsuna had taken the whole kitsune theme and had run with it. Seeing the little caramel colored fox run up to him was beyond adorable. It only had four tails now, but he knew Tsuna could add more if he wanted. Fon gently petted the 'fox'.

"Hello Tsu-chan."

The fox shifted into a 'younger' Tsuna, one who was about the same size as Fon. The Storm smiled again.

"So what's the news? You looked really mad earlier."

"We have a solid idea of who sealed you, though now we have to find out which Guardians were also present. Once we have that we can present the report to the Vindice. Odds are this is going to send major ripples through the Alliance when word gets out."

The major Triads had been warned of the inevitable shit-storm that was almost certain to hit when the Vindice got the reports. At the very least Iemitsu was almost certain to be investigated and arrested.

He either hadn't noticed his wife's condition or hadn't cared what he had done if he did. His wife was a Sealed Mist. From the files Fon had found, it was done voluntarily as the woman hadn't wanted to accidentally hurt her friends after a near miss. It was a properly applied Seal, one done by a Sky who knew exactly what they were doing and had filed appropriately. She had meet Iemitsu a few years after and it was unlikely the man had any idea his wife wasn't a Latent.

Fon suspected Iemitsu either Infected his wife before Tsuna was born, or shortly after his son went active. The damage was much harder to tell compared to Tsuna's seal.

Tsuna frowned. He didn't like being reminded of what happened, and he liked That Man being this close to his mother even less.

"I heard you acquired a Storm recently?" said Fon, changing the subject with ease.

"He's Latent, but I can tell there's a lot of potential there. The only flaws I can see is that he's a bit...too...loyal and he's brave to the point of being stupid."

Fon blinked.

Tsuna tried to explain.

"He's like an abused dog who will keep coming back for more to anyone who shows him a scrap of affection and he's too quick to jump into danger, even if it's almost certain to be fatal."

"Ah," said Fon in understanding. "In short he's going to need someone with extraordinary patience and understanding...and for someone to beat into his head that if he dies protecting his Sky he's going to leave his Sky vulnerable to attack."

Tsuna nodded.

"Apparently he had some previous training with someone named Trident Shamal, but he must have noticed the same things because he stopped without explaining it to him."

Fon nodded in understanding.

"Well I _might_ be able to get it through to him what Harmony is and why being brave to the point of suicidal does more harm than good. But the rest of it you would be on your own."

Tsuna nodded in relief.

"He might take it better from you than he would someone else. He's clearly heard of Reborn and Colonello, so he should respect you. He's a typical Storm though."

"Hot headed?" smiled Fon.

"Like I said, an abused dog eager to please and with a Storm's temper."

Fon nodded. That could get ugly very fast, especially if the boy kept snapping at people while around his Sky.

* * *

Lal Mirch was frowning. The cryptic message from Fon of all people had her instincts warning her of bad things to come.

And it only solidified when she came to Japan...only to find her idiot boss had been worked over by what looked like Triad professionals. _Pissed off_ professionals.

"What the hell?!" she said in alarm. He was lucky to be alive.

"You should be glad that his child even bothered to plead for this fool's life. Then again, considering what is almost certainly in his future it's unlikely this idiot will be thanking Tsuna for allowing him to live," came a cold voice she rarely heard.

Lal's eyes widened at the sight of Fon.

"What the hell is going on?"

Fon handed her two manila folders. They looked like medical reports from the outside seal alone.

"These are only copies, and once we've confirmed all those present during the event the Vindice _will_ be informed."

Lal's eyes scanned the documents, eyes growing wide in shock.

"This can't be right. No one could _possibly_ be that stupid."

"You know him best. Would you honestly say he's intelligent enough not to do something like this to his own family if he thought it would achieve what he wanted?"

Lal would have loved to deny it...except Iemitsu was an idiot. She had noted things that had seemed off about the man.

He was a Sky, but he had no Guardians. And the less said about the oddity of some of his actions, the better.

Add everything on top of this...

How the hell had she missed something was off about him?

Lal sighed.

"Thanks for the head's up. I'm going to order a full investigation to see how badly our intelligence has been compromised since he was put in charge. What about the child?"

Fon relaxed slightly.

"Tsuna found a unique way to help his mother and turned it into an advantage. If he were ever give a Varia name it would definitely be Kitsune. That's all I will say on the matter. That, and the Gesso have made it clear that unless Timoteo stands down they will be filing charges against him with the backing of the Giglio Nero."

Lal paled. The Gesso were one thing, but the Giglio Nero was _Luce's_ familigia. For them to get involved was not something she wanted to contemplate.

She looked at the files in her hands, then at Iemitsu.

"Screw it. If things are this bad I'm pulling out the ones that might be able to salvage something of themselves out of this and getting the hell out before the shit fest hits," said Lal flatly.

She was _not_ getting involved in this if she had any say about it.

Fon inclined his head. He had only given her fair warning out of respect.

Everyone knew CEDEF only kept it's supposed strength because of her. If she pulled out then it wouldn't be long before people asked what caused the almost-Arcobaleno to run like hell in the other direction.

Lal unceremoniously dragged the idiot in the jet, but on her orders the flame-suppressing cuffs remained on. Iemitsu was going to remain drugged or preferably locked up in one of the "special" cells until this mess was cleaned up.

If even half of this was right, it was the _least_ the bastard deserved.

* * *

Hayato for the first time in a very long time, felt like he was home. Nana had been more than happy to let him live with them, and had promptly given him the spare bedroom upon hearing he had more or less run away from home due to family issues. She wouldn't hear of a thirteen year old boy living on his own.

Tsuna treated him like family, real family as opposed to the nonsense he had to live with before.

The warm feeling in his chest only seemed to grow as long as he was around the other teen.

Tsuna seemed very happy he took the whole "gender-fluid" thing in stride to the point he didn't even register it anymore.

Then again, he lived in a civilian city. People weren't used to the really weird crap if they weren't mafia.

Case in point, toddlers who were not actually toddlers that could blow up entire military-style vessels with precision in under five minutes and flew around with a falcon.

He was actually happy for once, all because he took a chance.

Besides, Tsuna was ridiculously fluffy when he turned into a fox and didn't mind being scooped up and cuddled.

Even if he still had no idea how the hell that was even _possible_.


	7. Chapter 7

Takeshi was...confused.

After a rather upsetting incident involving a misfiring baseball machine (the only reason his dad didn't sue was because he knew damn well his son loved that place... on the plus side he didn't have to pay to visit it anymore as compensation), he had nothing to do with his time.

He honestly had no idea until now exactly how much of his time was spent playing baseball. Worse, he had zero idea how little his fellow students actually liked him as a person with that out of the equation for two solid months.

It actually kinda hurt.

Under normal circumstances he would go into a spiraling depression, and maybe contemplate suicide.

Only _one_ thing stopped that thought from forming. And it was about the one classmate who didn't really seem to care one way or another if he was unable to play for a while.

Tsuna.

Takeshi's confusion was this...

He had absolutely no idea if the kid was a boy, girl or _what._

They were a regular customer (his dad made inari-zushi just for them) and they never looked at him with pity once after the incident.

The thing was...sometimes Tsuna came in wearing girl clothes and looked like they had breasts, and sometimes they came in wearing boy clothes without it. And the first thing he had asked was if Tsuna had a twin, only to learn they were an only child.

Hence his confusion.

Without baseball in his life, he honestly had nothing better to do. So he decided to try and figure out what gender Tsuna actually _was._

And for some unknown reason, their boyfriend allowed it. Hibari could be terrifying when he was possessive, and he had long since claimed Tsuna as _his,_ even going so far as to address the teen differently to everyone else.

He only ever referred to Tsuna as either Kitsune, or Tsu-chan.

So Takeshi observed. He was very good at that, but he kept his silence for the most part.

Tsuna looked and acted like a girl in school...but out of it, well that was a different story.

Sometimes they were a girl, sometimes a boy. Occasionally he caught glimpses of what looked like ears, but he originally thought that to be a hallucination.

Until a week into his stalk...er, _observing_ , he found himself cornered by the unofficial "guard dog" of Tsuna. A half-Italian boy that the teen had brought back from vacation.

Rumor had it Hibari _personally_ insured the teen would be in the same class as Tsuna. No one went against him when he made his mind up on something.

"Alright asshole, why are you stalking Tsu-chan?" demanded Hayato.

Takeshi blinked, before allowing his usual mask to slip into place.

"Ahaha... just trying to figure them out."

"Figure out what?"

Takeshi almost _jumped,_ hearing Tsuna's voice.

He might as well ask.

"Are you a boy or a girl?"

Tsuna blinked, before a slow grin came upon their face.

"I'm both," they said playfully.

Okay, now he knew he wasn't hallucinating the first time. Tsuna really did have animal ears on their head.

Oh. OH. Well that explained the nickname.

"Ahaha... you really are a kitsune aren't you?"

Tsuna grinned at him, and something inside his chest relaxed.

"Some people care about silly things like gender, and some don't. I don't see why I should limit myself to one when I could just be myself."

"How is that even possible?" asked Takeshi with fascination.

"I could tell you, but..."

"But?"

"You'd have to treat us to sushi first. Your dad is awesome," said Tsuna with bright sparkles in their eyes.

He had to know exactly HOW Tsuna was able to switch genders. If only to keep him from focusing on his broken arm.

Takeshi let out another fake laugh. Tsuna frowned.

"You really need to stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"That mask of yours. If you're not happy you should show it. If you're sad or hurting, then you shouldn't smile and make everyone think you're alright," scolded Tsuna.

Takeshi blinked. Not a single _one_ of their classmates had noticed how lonely he was. Not one.

"How..."

"I know a mask when I see one... because originally I wore one too until I found a better way. Once I learned to let it go, I made real friends instead of the fake ones that walk the school halls. They're few in number, but I wouldn't trade them for the world," said Tsuna.

Hayato nodded in agreement.

"Come on baseball idiot... maybe you can make sense of Tsuna's weird explanations more than I could," said Hayato.

Takeshi had to blink at the odd change in attitude. Normally the Italian was gruff and tended to bark a lot like a guard dog around Tsuna. Now though... it was like he didn't seem to mind as much that Takeshi was so close to the odd teen.

* * *

Tsuyoshi liked Tsuna for multiple reasons. Odd quirks aside, the kid was harmless and a gentle ball of fluff. So what if the kid had found a way to manipulate his Mist Flame into emulating a kitsune?

There was nothing wrong with that, and it was actually a harmless application of a Flame that made any trained mafioso or freelancer wary.

So when he found his son talking to Tsuna and trying to figure out the boy's gender, he chuckled... until he realized what he was actually seeing.

Takeshi had been drifting, almost lost without his favorite sport. It had hurt and he had kept an extra close eye on his son.

Rain were prone to crippling depression for some reason, and his Son was a Rain Latent. And, unfortunately, a natural hit man if he was any guess.

Walking into the more private rooms, he should have felt the gentle coiling of Tsuna's Mist and the grumpy edge of the little Storm they found.

Instead he almost got hit in the face with the purest Sky Flames he had ever felt, almost intertwined with Mist.

He had almost stopped cold when he realized what Tsuna actually _was_ , and what they were doing without realizing it.

A Misty Sky was unknowingly courting his son. Under any other circumstances that sentence alone would have made him wary...after all, Mist were notorious for being deceptive and playing mind games.

Except...this was Tsuna. A kid who more or less only used their Mist to switch genders and mess with the heads of the people around them trying to figure out which suffix to use. Someone who had already proven that they didn't mind taking in the damaged and the broken and turning them into something stronger than before.

If there was ever a Mist Tsuyoshi thought he could trust with his son's fragile mental state, it was them.

* * *

Takeshi was so fascinated by the whole "gender-switching" thing that he quickly forgot about the pain in his arm and the fact he wasn't allowed to play baseball for another five weeks.

He got far too much entertainment watching how Tsuna interacted in everyday situations while switching genders on a whim.

However it was when Tsuna turned into a genuine kitsune that he had to really question reality.

"Did... Did Tsu-chan just turn into a five-tailed fox?"

That had Hibari turning to mentally count the tails. He took out a cell phone.

"Carnivore, I think we can confirm the theory that the little fox gains a tail for every flame bond. At this rate they might get ten by the time the report goes through," said Kyouya.

Takeshi blinked.

"What."

Kyouya pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Ever since Tsuna figured out how to shift into fox-form, he keeps gaining tails. From what we can tell there's a definite link to the number of tails to the number of bonds he has."

"Then why does Tsu-chan only have one when they're in human form?"

"Because it's easier. Besides, having multiple tails is kinda obvious isn't it?" said Tsuna tilting their head.

"We still don't know exactly what causes them to appear," said Kyouya gruffly.

"Well I could create all ten, but it feels wrong," said Tsuna shrugging. "I suppose the best way to describe why I gain tails is resonating frequencies."

"What."

Kyouya glared at the fox girl.

Tsuna shrugged helplessly.

"The more I start resonating with my Guardians or close allies, the stronger my own 'frequency' gets...and as a consequence I gain tails. I'm almost curious to see what happens when I get to ten," said Tsuna helplessly.

They didn't really know the details, all they knew was that every time they gained a new Guardian or started to, that their Sky started to become bigger to the point that a new tail showed up.

About the only thing Tsuna did know was that by the third tail they started to develop an affinity to certain abilities that were common among kitsune.

Like Fox-Fire for instance, which took nary a thought and involved zero Mist flames. Transformations came easier too, and it felt almost natural to let their ears and tail out.

As much as Tsuna loved dressing up, they found they had a real penchant for kimono, much to Kyouya's secret amusement.

Either way, there was no denying that the day Tsuna mastered the art of switching genders and taking the form of a kitsune, was the day that they truly started on the path of becoming a true kitsune.

They weren't complaining, as it opened up their world to something so much more than what humans were limited to. And it wasn't like they didn't see the possibility of such a thing coming.

Still, the fact remained that Tsuna had cast being "normal" aside much like one would cast aside childish notions.

Takeshi tilted his head.

"So what does it all mean?"

"It means you have a choice. You can join our group permanently and never have to worry about silly things like whether or not we like you because you're good at a sport...or you can go back to your normal life and continue on as you have. I have to warn you though, whichever one you chose there is no going back."

Takeshi thought it over.

His 'friends' had more or less begun to drift away from him at a steady rate after the accident. Oh, they'd come back when his arm healed and he was back to his old self again but the fact remained that they had proven themselves to be very fickle indeed. He hadn't realized it, but the way he was going now made him rather miserable, like a skin that fit too small on him. Like he was always hiding his real nature from the sheep, to avoid being an outcast.

But when he looked at Tsuna, he didn't feel that way at all. Tsuna didn't see the baseball star, the son of a noted sushi chef or any labels. He just saw Takeshi. He didn't push any preconceived labels or ideas on him...he accepted everything Takeshi was without hesitation. And all he asked for in return was that Takeshi accepted them and their odd quirks.

In retrospect the choice wasn't that hard at all to make.

"Screw normal, you're too much fun to simply let go that easily," said Takeshi with a real smile.

So what if it meant befriending someone who switched genders like he would bats? So what if he would end up being around people who weren't exactly sane or _normal_?

These people accepted him, and never demanded he be more than he really was. He didn't have to "smile" around them like everyone else.

They could accept the hidden darkness in his heart and would act as the pillars to keep the crushing weight of his own expectations from destroying him.

Feeling the warmth blossom in his chest, Tsuna beamed at Takeshi.

"Welcome home," said the teen with a gentle smile.

It really felt like home too. Takeshi grinned.

And that grin only widened when a few hours later Ryohei (using the lessons Lussuria and Byakuran's Sun had given him on Flame healing) fixed his arm like it hadn't been hurt at all.

He could play baseball again if he wanted.

Too bad Takeshi had bigger plans than simply playing a sport that he was mostly going through the motions for. He still loved it, but it had lost it's luster when he met Tsuna.

"Dad, I want you to teach me the way of the sword," said Takeshi seriously.

"Well it's about damn time."


	8. Chapter 8

Tsuna was soooo bored!

The second that thought crossed their mind, a shiver of doom fell upon everyone who knew their original gender and how bad things got whenever Tsuna was bored.

The second Kyouya confirmed that was the case, he did the only sane thing he could do.

He shoved Tsuna's fox form into an animal carrier and shipped them off to Byakuran to deal with.

Let the marshmallow obsessed nut deal with Tsuna when they were bored. He would probably _enjoy_ the chaos Tsuna created!

 _In Italy..._

"Byakuran, there's a package for you from Namimori," said Kikyo. It was making weird noises, which did not bode well for their mellow. The last time they got a box that made noises, all hell broke loose because it contained...

Byakuran opened the box...and started laughing. Kikyo's heart dropped.

"Oh god, please don't tell me..."

"Hi Kura-kun! I'm bored again."

"Well we can't have that, now can we, Tsu-chan~" said Byakuran grinning. Tsuna grinned evilly with him.

"RUN! WE HAVE A CODE FOXFIRE ON THE PREMISES! FLEE, FLEE FOR YOUR SANITY!" shouted Kikyo.

The last time a bored Tsuna and Byakuran teamed up, all hell broke loose. It took them _months_ to clean up that mess.

"I wish I could join you right away in causing havoc, but sadly they threatened to take away my marshmallows if I didn't finish my paperwork," said Byakuran.

Tsuna gasped.

"The fiends!"

"It shouldn't take more than a day or two to get through it, so feel free to cause chaos in Italy until then. You still have the earrings I gave you, Tsu-chan?" asked Byakuran.

Tsuna pulled back their hair to reveal the smiling foxes with orange gems in their mouths. Which had a built-in GPS so Byakuran could locate them if they got lost.

"I guess I could go visit Sorella and Mammon for a bit," said Tsuna, tilting their head.

"Try not to blow up the Varia mansion... unless I'm there to roast marshmallows on the fire it would create and laugh at the chaos with you."

"Okay~!" chirped Tsuna. They could hold off on that sort of thing until Byakuran was done.

* * *

Luss almost had a heart attack when Tsuna suddenly appeared in the Sun division.

"Tsu-chan! What are you doing here?"

"I was bored, so Kyouya sent me to Byakuran. But he's too busy with paperwork, so I decided to visit you and Mammon instead~" chirped Tsuna. The pseudo-girl tilted her head. "Why do you feel so sad?"

"It's the anniversary of the day our Boss was put on something like house arrest by the Vongola," explained Luss.

"Why?" asked Tsuna innocently.

"Boss was mad at Nono for something, so he confronted him about it...and that was the last we heard from him. We know where he is, but we can't reach him."

Lussuria had to smile when Tsuna immediately hugged him.

"That sounds bad. Did he know you would be hurt too if you lost your Boss?" asked Tsuna.

"I highly doubt he cared. He might think he was being kind, but it feels more like he's punishing all of us. Squalo's kept us going, but we really miss him."

"Mu. Why not bring him with us when we sneak into the mansion to visit the Boss?" said a voice.

"Hi Mammon," said Tsuna. Then they tilted their head. "Sneak in?"

"It's to remind ourselves that the Boss isn't actually dead, just an ice cube."

Squalo either didn't notice or didn't care about the extra when they snuck into the mansion.

But the second Tsuna came within five feet of the giant ice block he started crying.

"You alright, Tsu-chan?" asked Luss.

"He's really sad and hurting. Can't you feel it?"

"Voi! Who's the brat?" demanded Squalo.

"His name is Tsuna," said Mammon.

"Shishishi... how could a peasant know what the Boss is feeling?" said Belphegor.

"I just can. Maybe it's because I'm more in tune with the spirit realm, but I can tell he's really hurting from being away from you all. Just being close to you seems to be making it a little better, but it's like there's interference. A _familiar_ interference," said Tsuna frowning. Now that he was here, he recognized this feeling from before.

"Mu. How could it possibly be familiar?" demanded Mammon impatiently.

Tsuna reached out with his Flames...and started growling.

"Was the one who sealed him like this named Timoteo of the Vongola?" demanded Tsuna, very pissed off now.

"Voi! What the hell difference does that make?" asked Squalo.

"Because I already have a score to settle with that man, and this is just adding on top of the crimes he's committed against other Skies," said Tsuna darkly. "The last time I felt this Flame signature, Byakuran was removing a seal from me."

The room was silent, but Tsuna was more focused on the man in the ice.

"And if I remember what happened last time right...the best way to remove seals like this is to overpower them with a stronger Sky Flame."

It probably wasn't very smart. And he was almost certainly going to get yelled at by Byakuran and the others at the least. But he couldn't leave things like this, not when his friends were hurting so much from having their Sky imprisoned so cruelly.

So Tsuna put his hand on the 'ice' and started pouring his Flames into it. It almost looked like nothing was actually happening...until cracks started forming. They were small, but they quickly grew to the point that large chunks were falling off and disappearing at a rapid pace. He was becoming exhausted, but this was more important than him being tired.

With a loud **"Crack!"** , the ice split into two rough halves...and someone collapsed on the floor.

"Boss!" yelped Lussuria. He was quick to bring his Sun flame to the unconscious figure...and his sigh of relief made everyone else relax. "He's alive... weak, and his Flames are at a very dull roar, but _alive_."

Seeing Tsuna pass out from using too many Flames at once, Squalo was quick to catch the kid who freed their Sky.

* * *

Xanxus woke up to find a fretting Lussuria, who looked openly relieved to see him awake.

"Thank god. How are you feeling Boss?" said Lussuria.

Xanxus tried to move and winced. He was suffering from Flame depletion, he could tell he had scars all over, and he felt like shit. Other than that, he was still alive and he was still able to move.

"Like shit, trash. What happened?"

"You were frozen. For five years."

Xanxus froze.

"What."

"Nono apparently did something to turn your Flames into ice. We had no idea how to reverse it... but it seems this isn't the first time he did something like this."

"Explain!"

"Owie... my head feels bad."

Xanxus turned his head to find... a kid with ears and a tail? Definitely a Mist then.

Luss chuckled, before handing the kid some pills. They looked like medicine for minor Flame depletion and migraines.

"Well considering you rarely use your Flames, and this is the first time you've exhausted that many..." said Lussuria.

"Who's this trash?"

"I'm Tsuna~" the kid positively chirped. His tail flicked this way and that, while his ears twitched.

"Ah, ah, ah... no switching around until your Flames are back to normal. Whatever you did to free the Boss wore you out too much for you to do more than the ears or tail for a few days," scolded Luss.

Tsuna openly pouted.

"But I _hate_ being stuck in one gender! It's soooo boring!"

Xanxus stared.

"What."

"Tsu-chan~ Guess who finished their paperwork early!" sing-songed a voice that didn't sound entirely sane. An albino kid came into the infirmary, took one look at Xanxus and openly pouted. "I thought I said no chaos until I was allowed to join in."

"That old geezer who put the seal on me apparently sealed another Sky. You know I dislike Timoteo after the stunt he pulled when I was five," said Tsuna flatly.

The albino clucked at him.

"Well I can't say I blame you for resenting that old man for sealing your Flames...or that you would react badly to finding out he did it before. How long is he on Flame restrictions?" asked the albino to Luss.

"At least three or four days."

"Which means we'll have to tone down our usual chaos until he's feeling better~!"

"Trash, explain. Now," demanded Xanxus.

"You see Boss, it's like this..." said Lussuria slowly.

Xanxus went from annoyed, to incredulous, to just plain pissed. Fortunately, he seemed to _like_ Tsuna enough not to consider him "trash" anymore.

The kid hadn't hesitated to risk his own health to free someone he didn't even know, simply because he was pissed at the old man. Finding out he wasn't the only one screwed over by Nono seemed to earn a little bit of favor towards him.

That, and the kid was chaotic enough to fit right in when it came to Varia-level crazy, which hadn't changed much.

So Xanxus wasn't about to start using the Kitsune as target practice. If he had the stomach to handle the inevitable killing that came with being mafia, then maybe he might be worth knowing.

For now though, the only thing Xanxus wanted to do was recover from whatever Nono had done to him and get things back in order.

He quickly revised any negative opinions of the "little fox" as everyone called the kid when he came across what happened when the kid became bored and had accomplices.

One look at the chaos and terror the brat was capable of inflicting with his Flames and someone who wasn't exactly the definition of sane...

"You know what, screw it. From now on the brat is Kitsune and we're calling him when we want something extra creative against the trash we normally have to deal with," declared Xanxus flatly. He'd rather have that devious mind on his side, than against him. If giving him a Varia code name meant the kid didn't turn his boredom on them, despite not killing anyone, then he'd take what he could get.

With any luck he'd be able to send the kid after CEDEF to watch the fire works with a good bottle of booze.

Byakuran had cackled when he delivered Tsuna back to Namimori...and told the others what happened. Hearing the mafia-raised and the Arcobaleno swear hearing Tsuna had freed Xanxus and earned the man's respect enough to be considered Varia Quality without actually killing just seemed par for the course when it came to the Fox.

Tsuna was just happy to make a new friend...and to be able to switch his gender around again. He hated being stuck in one gender for days at a time. It made him itch.

* * *

 _In the Varia..._

"Alright miser brat, what the hell caused the Sawada's spawn to turn out like _that_?" asked Xanxus.

Mammon didn't even bother to demand payment. They were just happy to have Xanxus back.

"Mu. The idiot caused his wife to develop a Sky Infection, and her son accidentally found a way to negate the worst of it. It wasn't until Fon's grandson got involved that the boy allowed his disguise to take a life of it's own. Though the rest of Tsu-chan's behavior can be fully blamed on the Gesso brat."

"Tsu-chan?"

"If you aren't certain what to call him, just use Tsu-chan. That or gender neutral pronouns like we use around Luss. Byakuran helped undo the seal Timoteo placed on the boy when he was only _five_ , and since Tsuna didn't mind being around him he started influencing 'Tsunako', which is what the child calls his female side. So if the kid acts like he's on a perpetual sugar high, that's why."

"How the hell did they find out about the seal?"

"Blame Fon for that. He noticed something was off because the kid was a bit too good at disguising his gender long before he managed to learn how to use his Mist flame properly. And when he found out about the boy's mother...well, he got pissed enough to ask a favor from Luce's family. She's the one who introduced Tsuna to Byakuran."

"How did you get involved."

"Someone had to train the brat how to use his other primary. Fon recommended me and the Gesso brat paid my fees to train the boy in how to use his Mist. Though from what I remember, Tsuna had a major freak out the first time he successfully managed to shift his gender so thoroughly she actually had a period."

Xanxus stared, before a low rumble started in his throat. It took a minute before he started laughing his ass off.

Mammon's lips quirked upward.

"That was my reaction too. After that the brat started switching genders as easily as one would change clothes, though she gets stuck every time that time of the month rolls around. Can you imagine what the Vongola or even the other familigias would say if there was a gender-switching brat in charge of the Family?"

Xanxus laughed harder.

Most of the Dons he knew were all stuffed up, total assholes. Putting a kid who switched genders like it was nothing with the attitude of a child on a perpetual sugar high... that was sure to be hilarious, especially if the brat used those damn puppy dog eyes like when Xanxus even _looked_ like he was about to tell the kid off.

The brat was one scary Mist, using cuteness to get his way. Adding Sky Flames on top of that...

If he ever ended up heir to the Vongola family name, then at least Xanxus wouldn't have to fear boredom anytime soon. Just imagining the coronaries of those stuck up Guardians Timoteo had would have made the entire thing worth it.


End file.
